Single Working Women’s Week: Why you should celebrate

Currently topping the list of holidays you probably didn’t know existed: Single Working Women’s Week is being celebrated from Sunday, July 31 through Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016.

For many New Yorkers, every week is single working women’s week, so why bother celebrating such a thing at a seemingly random time in August?

Below are our thoughts on why single women in New York City have good reason to celebrate. But first, here’s a little information on how this holiday came to be.

Before Single Working Women’s Week was a thing, there was the Single Working Women’s Network, which was created by a group of women who got together and decided they wanted to celebrate “the unique contributions of single women to the world,” according to the network’s website.

Barbara Payne, who had been single for more than 25 years, founded SWWAN in 2006, the organization’s website says. Soon after, Single Working Women’s Day (Aug. 4) and Single Working Women’s Week were added to Chase’s Calendar of Events.

There are holidays to celebrate a myriad different roles in life, from motherhood to being a boss, and even a holiday dedicated to meteorologists. So why not celebrate being a hardworking single woman in today’s world?

Putting yourself first

Sometimes your needs can get lost in the shuffle of a relationship. But when your No. 1 relationship is with yourself (and maybe that salted caramel ice cream in the freezer), you can more easily ensure that you are taking the best steps to improve yourself, creating a life that makes you happy.
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Eating whatever you want, whenever you want

After a long day at work, who wants to argue over what's for dinner? When you're single, you get to choose what you want and when you want to eat it -- at least most of the time. If you want to eat left over Chinese food for breakfast, no one's going to stop you; and that's just wonderful.
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Independence

The Single Working Women's Network put it best: Here's to "the women who earn and bring home the bacon and then cook it, serve it and clean up afterwards." Now give yourself a pat on the back. (Credit: iStock)

Weekend plans are almost always more fun

Aside from the occasional mandatory event (weddings, showers, birthdays, etc.), you and only you can decide what you would like to do this weekend. If you want to sit on the couch and binge watch "Jane the Virgin," then break out the sweatpants, girl, no one's going to stop you. You deserve it after the week you've had.
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Owning your career successes

Single working women have every reason to be confident in their career successes. Regardless of your personal support system in life (friends, family, dog, etc.), only you can stake a claim on that promotion at work or that new account you reeled in. Let that confidence shine through.
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Not feeling guilty over splurge purchases

When you don't share your finances with a significant other, there is no one to make you question (save maybe your mother) that latest splurge purchase. You work hard for your money, so you shouldn't feel guilty if you want to celebrate landing that new contract with a new pair of Jimmy Choos.
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More time for family and friends

Juggling work, a significant other, friends and family can be exhausting. But when you're single, it makes juggling the rest a little easier. You don't have to split holidays with a significant other's family or choose between a friend's event or your significant other's friend's event.
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Not having to share a bed – if you don’t want to

Being a hardworking woman requires plenty of rest, and for many, that can be difficult when you share a bed. But when you're single, you can spread out, flop around, or snuggle up any way you want without interference. (Credit: iStock)

No guilt over working late

You know what's worse than consistently working late hours at the office? Having to deal with complaints about it when you get home. Of course, you don't want to over extend yourself in your work, but if long hours are called for once and a while, it's nice to know you won't catch grief for it afterward.
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Spending your paid time off the way you want

Vacation days are precious, and you should be able to do what you want with them. Now go ahead and book that trip to Belize (or where ever you want to go), you've earned it.
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